Gangwon, which hosted the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, was chosen to stage the fourth edition of the event by the International Olympic Committee in January.

The province has now revealed that it sent a letter to Pyongyang in August offering the opportunity to co-host the Games.

Gangwon’s northern boundary is the Military Demarcation Line, separating it from North Korea's Kangwŏn Province.

Before the division of Korea in 1945 Gangwon and Kangwŏn formed a single province.

Gangwon Governor Choi Moon-soon had advocated co-hosting the Winter Youth Olympics since the bid was launched.

During a meeting with South Korea's Unification Minister Lee In-young earlier this year, Choi discussed cooperation between the Ministry and the province for expediting inter-Korean projects.

In particular, the Governor highlighted the need for the Ministry's support in seeking North Korea's participation in the event.

"We hope that the Ministry of Unification will play a leading role realising the co-hosting of the event with North Korea," Choi said.

Under Choi’s proposal, Alpine skiing and snowboarding would take place in Wonsan in North Korea,

Tourism is being actively prompted in the area and Mount Changdok and Mount Nap'al are located to the west of the city.

There were several discussions before the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang about North and South Korea sharing the event.

But these were held mainly at the local level and never became serious proposals.

A unified North and South Korean team took part in the women’s ice hockey tournament and the two countries marched together in the Opening Ceremony.

The Games served as an impetus for improving inter-Korean ties.

A high-level delegation led by Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's sister, visited Pyeongchang. 

The visit paved the way for an inter-Korean summit in April 2018, the first of three summits between President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un that year.

There have been serious discussions between Seoul and Pyongyang about launching a joint bid for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games but these discussions have often stalled depending on the political temperature between the two countries.

A proposed bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup collapsed for the same reason.